Betty MacDonald Fan Club. Join fans of the beloved writer Betty MacDonald (1907-58). The original Betty MacDonald Fan Club and literary Society. Welcome to Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Betty MacDonald Society - the official Betty MacDonald Fan Club Website with members in 40 countries.
Betty MacDonald, the author of The Egg and I and the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Series is beloved all over the world. Don't miss Wolfgang Hampel's Betty MacDonald biography and his very witty interviews on CD and DVD!

When her name comes up, as it has on occasion,I reminisce about our only meeting.We had climbed the long flight to the ferry boat cabin.We stop suddenly at the top.A woman is coming down.Dad and Mom talk with her.Dad, proud, introduces me, his boy.Then he tells me, “This is Betty MacDonald.”To me she’s just a another grown up.I seem to remember all of that.I think she had on silk stockings, high heels.There may also have been white gloves, perfume.I wonder if I’ve invented all this ?It’s just a memory, a brief moment in time.As I said, on occasion it has come up.Then I turn it over, move it around,gaining nothing except what is here.Well, maybe a slight scent of sophistication;maybe a touch of class.But have I hatched this too ?Questions remain as questions always seem to do,just laying there.Whenever I catch a ferry and see that high flight,small memories like this, soar.

Hope you enjoy this.I like poetry for its more immediate creative outlet (usually).More immediate than painting, anyway.The poem describes an incident that occurred in I would guess, about 1950.

Perry Woodfin has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Washington State
University, and has made a living with his art since 1965. Puget Sound
raised, he lives on Whidbey Island 50 miles north of Seattle.

Perry Woodfin:Even
remember being introduced to Betty McDonald of "The Egg and I" fame on
one when I was maybe 8-9 years old. Somehow knew it was special. But
what isn't on the ferries.

Story highlights

(CNN)Hillary
Clinton has pneumonia, her doctor said Sunday, hours after the
Democratic nominee stumbled and exited a 9/11 commemoration ceremony
early.

The incident seems
certain to prompt further scrutiny of Clinton's health and her
campaign's transparency -- though Republican rival Donald Trump was
uncharacteristically silent throughout a solemn day marking the 15th
anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Clinton,
68, was diagnosed on Friday with pneumonia, and "was put on
antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule," Dr. Lisa
Bardack said in a statement.

"While
at this morning's event, she became overheated and dehydrated. I have
just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely,"
said Bardack, chairman of internal medicine at the Mount Kisco Medical
Group.

The
Clinton campaign declined to answer questions Sunday about why her
diagnosis wasn't disclosed Friday. Many people even inside the Clinton
campaign did not know about the pneumonia diagnosis Friday. An aide said
that Clinton "thought she could push through this ... she was feeling
better" -- until Sunday morning.

The
episode quickly impacted Clinton's campaign. Late Sunday night a
campaign spokesman said a Clinton trip to California was being scrubbed,
including several high-dollar fundraisers and television appearances by
the candidate. Clinton donors who had planned to attend the San
Francisco fundraiser Monday were told by the campaign that the event
would go on as scheduled and that attendees could expect to hear from
the candidate "via teleconference."

Instead
Clinton now plans to stay home and prepare for the upcoming debates,
while her advisers to discuss how to move beyond arguably the worst
weekend of the campaign.

Two
people close to the campaign said Monday that Clinton will almost
certainly have to release more medical records -- or do an interview on
her health, specifically. She is likely to resume campaigning Wednesday,
but will almost certainly not fly to Nevada, as originally planned. She
is more likely to give her economic-themed speech in a battleground
state far closer to New York: Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Ohio are
possibles.

Clinton's health came
into sharp focus Sunday as she appeared wobbly and stumbled as Secret
Service agents helped her into a van to exit a memorial service marking
the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Democratic
nominee traveled to her daughter's nearby apartment and the campaign
initially said she felt "overheated."

A video of Clinton's
departure from the 9/11 event at Ground Zero in Manhattan, posted by
Twitter user Zdenek Gazda, shows her clearly stumbling, with Secret
Service agents helping her into the van in the motorcade.

Clinton
appeared to faint as she was leaving the Ground Zero ceremony, two law
enforcement officials -- including one who witnessed the incident --
told CNN.

Leaving her daughter's apartment a little before noon, Clinton told reporters she was "feeling great."

"It's
a beautiful day in New York," she added, while smiling and waving to
supporters on the street before getting into her motorcade.

On Sunday night campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said a planned California campaign trip Monday and Tuesday has been scrubbed.

Other incidents

Clinton
suffered a two-minute coughing fit during an event in Cleveland last
week, which she blamed on allergies -- and wryly put on the shoulders of
GOP nominee Donald Trump.

"Every time I think about Trump I get allergic," she joked in front of the crowd.

Trump
and his top surrogates have claimed that she faces a health crisis,
citing selectively edited videos of public events to advance claims
she's suffered seizures.

There is
no credible evidence to support any of these claims. Clinton's physician
-- the only person to speak on the record who has actually examined her
-- has repeatedly affirmed the former secretary of state's health and
fitness for the highest office in the land.

In
an interview on "Fox News Sunday" in August, former New York City mayor
and Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani first accused the mainstream media of
hiding evidence, then encouraged doubters to "go online and put down
'Hillary Clinton illness.' "

During an appearance last month on the Jimmy Kimmel show, Clinton called the GOP claims about her health a "wacky strategy."

"I
don't know why they are saying this," she said. "I think on the one
hand, it is part of the wacky strategy, just say all these crazy things
and maybe you can get some people to believe you."

Trump camp muted

Trump
responded to the incident for the first time on Monday morning, but his
initial comments were relatively muted for the Republican nominee who
has repeatedly brought up Clinton's health and stamina on the campaign
trail.

"I really just don't know. I
hope she gets well soon," Trump told Fox News in an interview when
asked about the incident, adding later, "Something is going on but I
just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail, and we'll be seeing
her at the debate." Trump also said he would be releasing to the public
results from a doctor's physical he received last week.

Throughout
Sunday Trump and surrogates were quiet about Clinton's health. Sources
involved in Trump's campaign said they want to be respectful about the
health of his Democratic rival.

One said the campaign's message was to wish Clinton well and hope she gets the necessary medical care.

Another
source said surrogates have been instructed to be respectful and not to
post on social media about Clinton's health incident.

Separately
someone familiar with the situation said staff was instructed to keep
quiet and not post anything negative on social media about the issue --
with termination a potential consequence for doing so.

Trump
himself has not tweeted about Clinton's health Sunday, and this
afternoon while he visited a firehouse he refused to comment on her
health. "I don't know anything about it, don't know anything about it,"
he told reporters.

Trump's running
mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, refused to acknowledge reporters'
questions Sunday about Clinton and her health at an awards ceremony that
he presided over in Indianapolis.

"In
this extraordinary campaign cycle, where the stakes are so high and the
media can be merciless, it can be easy to forget that presidential
candidates are human beings too," Stein said.

Health history

The
most recent major health problem Clinton has suffered was a scare in
2012 following a concussion that resulted from a fainting spell -- but
she is in good health now, according to a statement from her doctor that
Clinton's campaign released in July 2015.

"Mrs.
Clinton is a healthy 67-year old female whose current medical
conditions include hypothyroidiam and seasonal pollen allergies," wrote
Dr. Lisa Bardack, Clinton's doctor since 2001, in a health statement
provided by Clinton's campaign.

The
health statement says the blood clot, also known as a thrombosis, that
Clinton suffered between her brain and skull following a fainting spell
and concussion in late 2012 is completely resolved.

Angelique Kerber, With a U.S. Open Win, Solidifies Her Claim on No. 1 Status

Angelique Kerber became the first German woman to win the United States Open since Steffi Graf in 1996.Credit
Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

The line can be so fine, even with all the work Angelique Kerber has done on herself and her game.

And as she hoisted her second Grand Slam singles trophy of the year (and of her career) on Saturday at the United States Open, it seemed appropriate to wind back the tape eight months to the Australian Open.

In
the first round there, she faced a match point in the second-set
tiebreaker against the unseeded Misaki Doi of Japan and escaped only
when Doi’s shot hit the tape and fell back on Doi’s side of the net.

“What
would happen had she not won that match point?” Mary Joe Fernandez, the
United States Fed Cup captain, asked on Saturday, shortly before Kerber
went out and played her latest remarkable match under major pressure to
defeat the 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in the Open
final.

Lose
to Doi in January, and Kerber would not have gone on to win her first
major title at the Australian Open, where she beat Serena Williams in a
three-set thriller. Lose to Doi in January, and Kerber might never have
found the state of mind necessary to experience this remarkable
midcareer renaissance at 28.

Such
tiny margins can have such big consequences. But the results were there
for all to see down the stretch on Saturday in Arthur Ashe Stadium as
Kerber, the No. 2 seed, won a very fine match in style, rallying from a
break of serve down in the third set to defeat an opponent who had
overpowered her, 6-3, 6-1, in the Cincinnati final just last month.

“You
saw it in the match,” Kerber’s coach, Torben Beltz, said of the changes
in his pupil. “If she’s a break down, she never gives up. I think she
never gives up. She’s the fighter she was before, but right now she
believes more in herself. You really see that she doesn’t want to lose
and wants to go for her shots. She has more self-confidence, and that’s
very important for her.”

Up a break early in the third set, Karolina Pliskova looked as though she might continue her wave of upsets at the Open.Credit
Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Already
guaranteed to become No. 1 in the world this week for the first time,
Kerber will ascend to the top spot as a first-time United States Open
champion as well. After she had finished off her victory, reached up to
embrace the 6-foot-1 Pliskova and then climbed up to hug Beltz and
others in the players’ box, she descended to her courtside chair, put a
towel to her face and sobbed at length.

“It
was everything, I think, because of all the pressure in the last few
months,” Kerber said. “To win here is very special for me. Everything
starts for me here in 2011. This Grand Slam is really, really special.”

In
2011, Kerber arrived in New York with a world ranking of 92 and made a
most unexpected run to the semifinals before losing to the eventual
champion, Sam Stosur, in three sets. Though she had considerable success
in the seasons that followed, breaking into the top 10, she never
managed until this year to break through to that same stage of a Grand
Slam tournament.

Now
she has won two major titles and reached this year’s Wimbledon final,
where she lost to Williams, and she also secured a silver medal in
singles at the Summer Olympics last month.

It
all adds up to a phenomenal and unexpected season and further proof
that it is possible to make a breakthrough at an advanced tennis age.
The most recent previous example: Flavia Pennetta, who won her first
major singles title at the United States Open last year at 33.

Pennetta, an effervescent Italian, has since retired, but Kerber has every intention of continuing to ride her wave.

Always
a great defender and counterpuncher with a capacity to hit the
crowd-pleasing shot, Kerber has made her big move by getting fitter and
even quicker, by attacking with more frequency and by making subtle
improvements to her still vulnerable serve.

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She
won 51 percent of her second-serve points at the Open and 53 percent
against Pliskova despite Pliskova’s best efforts to attack on her
returns.

Kerber
will be the oldest player in the history of the WTA rankings to become
No. 1 for the first time. She is the first German woman to win the
United States Open since Steffi Graf, Kerber’s childhood idol and
occasional mentor, in 1996.

Graf
sent her a good-luck text before the match, which at 2 hours 7 minutes
turned out to be as grueling as it was entertaining. It was hot (close
to 90 degrees) and muggy (63 percent humidity), but Kerber and Pliskova,
both first-time Open finalists, kept hustling and taking chances right
through the tape.

In
the end, Kerber won it with great defense, tracking down Pliskova’s big
power in the corners. She won it by being steadier (she made 17
unforced errors to Pliskova’s 47). She won it with clever, sliced
left-handed serves at the right moments. But above all, she won it by
going for it.

“She’s
grown as a player,” Fernandez said. “She’s improved. She doesn’t just
play defense anymore. She plays aggressively. I think her forehand down
the line is one of the best in the game. She threads the needle
beautifully.”

She
proved quite the seamstress again at 3-3, 30-all in the final set with
Pliskova still pressing her. Pliskova hit a deep backhand crosscourt. It
was not an obvious opportunity, but Kerber chose to seize it anyway.
She went airborne and nailed a forehand down the line.

It
landed in the corner for a winner, and Kerber, eyes wide, pumped both
fists and went back to the increasingly familiar business of winning
Grand Slam titles — of staying on the right side of that very fine line
between contender and champion.

Yes Betty, either or it seems he wanted to fly only with
Singapore Airways.

Boeing or Airbus, it’s just the same
isn’t it? Aren’t they both just fat birds with 500 passengers?

Yes, but Singapore Airlines has the
most beautiful airhostesses: delicate, fine, graceful… Mr. Tigerli had looked forward to the flight
so much!

So the little man was disappointed?

You just can’t imagine how disappointed
he was.

But thank God one of the hostesses was a
pretty Chinese girl. Mr. Tigerli purred loudly but she didn’t hear him because
the purring of the Airbus 380 was even louder.

The poor cat!

You’ve said it Betty. Mr. Tigerli was
in a very bad mood and asked me for a loud speaker.

I’m sure you can get one in 1st
Class.

“”Russian Girl” had even heard you over
the roar of the Niagara Falls” I said to Mr. Tigerli. “You are a very
unfaithful cat. You wanted to get to know Asiatic girls. That’s how it is when
one leaves one’s first love”.

And what did he say to that?

“Men are hunters” was his answer.

Yes, my dear cat, a mouse hunter. And
what else did he say?

Not another word. He behaved as if he
hadn’t heard me.

The Airbus is very loud.

I told him shortly “Don’t trouble
yourself about “Chinese Girl”. There will be enough even prettier girls in
China. Wait till we land in Guilin”.

About Me

Betty MacDonald Fan Club, founded by Wolfgang Hampel, has members in 40 countries.
Wolfgang Hampel, author of Betty MacDonald biography interviewed Betty MacDonald's family and friends. His Interviews have been published on CD and DVD by Betty MacDonald Fan Club. If you are interested in the Betty MacDonald Biography or the Betty MacDonald Interviews send us a mail, please.
Several original Interviews with Betty MacDonald are available.
We are also organizing international Betty MacDonald Fan Club Events for example, Betty MacDonald Fan Club Eurovision Song Contest Meetings in Oslo and Düsseldorf, Royal Wedding Betty MacDonald Fan Club Event in Stockholm and Betty MacDonald Fan Club Fifa Worldcup Conferences in South Africa and Germany.
Betty MacDonald Fan Club Honour Members are Monica Sone, author of Nisei Daughter and described as Kimi in Betty MacDonald's The Plague and I, Betty MacDonald's nephew, artist and writer Darsie Beck, Betty MacDonald fans and beloved authors and artists Gwen Grant, Letizia Mancino, Perry Woodfin, Traci Tyne Hilton, Tatjana Geßler, music producer Bernd Kunze, musician Thomas Bödigheimer, translater Mary Holmes and Mr. Tigerli.